chapter eighteen – the battle of starcourt mall and the sacrifice

Just about every curse word left from Irene's lip in a low mumble as she pushed the car alongside Lucas, her brother, and the rest of the group. Jonathan's plan, while clever in retrospect, had many holes in it. The muscles inside her arms felt like they were being pulled apart in a fiery game of tug-o-war; it was like an inferno had been ignited in her core (which she swore birthed a set of abs along her stomach). A low rumbling grunt came from her; her arms now shaking underneath the weight of the car which seemed to be getting heavier as stray curls stuck to her sweaty forehead. Soon enough, before they could pull any important muscles, they all took their hands off of the vehicle; panting as they leaned against it.

They shared looks of fatigue as El stood before them brimming with dim confidence, telling them to let her give it a try. Helplessness seeped into her gaze, but none of them wanted her to burn herself out any further. Irene shook her head, placing her hands at her waist, "No." She breathed, causing everyone's attention to snap toward her in shock, and then swallowed thickly, "You've lost too much of your strength so no. Thankfully as we were pushing, I actually came up with an idea that might work."

Once Mike caught on to the plan she was trying to execute he immediately broke down the laws of physics to the rest of the group so that they would be on board too. And with much effort from all of them, they used the theater's rope poles to push the car back onto its wheels. Irene shared an ecstatic and tired (she could hardly keep her arms up) high-five with Mike before they stepped down beside his older sister and Johnathan who were swift to get the hood of the car open. Mateo lingered right beside as he offered his help.

Just when they thought they escaped the clutches of evil a thunderous boom rang in the distance; the feeling of deja vu that overcame Irene had her stomach erupting with a flurry of butterflies. She glanced over at Will who had reached for the back of his neck and figured he felt it somehow, too. A jolt vibrated against the ground, shaking and cracking the malls' glass ceiling with every step that seemed to grow...louder. A sickly snarl made goosebumps rise along her arms and she felt the life leave her completely as her eyes trailed upward. 

Everything slowed around her and for a moment it felt like time had completely stopped and the world grew eerily silent. It was just her staring back at the thing she'd been trying so desperately to flee from. A lump formed in her throat as she stood frozen by both terror and grief.

This was the pinnacle of it all for her; the solidification of her nightmare.

Before the monster that peered down at her caved into the building, a rough yank to her arm jostled her out of her trance and she looked over at Max who was now pulling her along. She ran beside the red-head as a loud shriek pierced her ears. They quickly ducked behind a counter and it took everything in her not to vomit at the rancid smell that filled her nostrils. It stuck there, weaving itself into every part of her – the smell of death so potent...so haunting.

Max's hand was still gripped tightly onto hers and she looked over at her eyes and felt herself sink deeper into grief. She was terrified...They all were and the muffled sounds of Dustin barely trying to contact them frantically on one of the distant walkies wasn't helping their case. It only heightened their anxieties and Irene was both relieved and horrified that she turned her walkie off to save its battery earlier.

A part of her was still in complete awe over everything. She felt helpless and as if it were all her fault that it had gotten to such a drastic point – she could've said something before, right? She could've warned the group earlier–She should've warned the group earlier. Maybe then they wouldn't be standing at death's doorstep with so much as a flower bouquet and a smile. Maybe then the summer would have actually been normal or as normal as it could get in her life – she'd hang out with her new friends and have fun and life wouldn't be so scary after all. Unfortunately, this was her hellish reality and she couldn't help but feel responsible.

Mike looked over the counter and then back to the three, "It's turned away, if we go up the stairs now we'll make it." He whispered and she shook her head in protest. 

"No. El's leg won't make it – there's a backroom in the Gap, we can go that way." They all agreed and, as stealthily and quickly as they could, moved toward the department store. Just when they thought they might have pulled the wool over the monsters' eyes, El knocked something over causing a loud clang to sound through the building. Irene pushed the three forward and brought them down to duck behind a tall display shelf. A loud screech bellowed behind them as the Mind Flayer dragged its heavy body in their direction. They all held their breath, huddling close. A roar echoed around them as a mannequin flew into the wall and hit the floor at their feet, wearing the same outfit as El.

After a few seconds Irene silently motioned for them to move spots again and while the three squished behind another display shelf she hid inside a shirt rack, peering through the clothes. She kept her eyes glued on the three in fear that if she looked anywhere else she'd lose herself to terror again. 

A long tentacle-like thing slithered through the aisles toward the three and she clutched the clothes forgetting to breathe as she watched, feeling absolutely helpless. Just as the thing neared closer, so close it would have spotted the three, a balloon popping sounded from the distance. It averted the Mind Flayer's attention from them and as soon as it stepped away she sprung from out of the rack and grabbed the three, dragging them toward the back door. She ran at the end of the group, looking behind her every few seconds as they turned several corners and ran down the lengthy halls.

Outside of Starcourt, Mateo looked behind him in a frenzy, waiting for his sister to emerge from the mall. His eyes glanced down at his watch and the time ticked by agonizingly slow; his heart sinking further with every move the hand made. A shot rang through his ears, jolting his body in panic as his gaze traveled to Nancy's frame. Her fingers were holding tightly onto the gun his sister gave her – her posture was straight and confident despite the familiar dark blue Camaro rushing towards them. He swung open the door, squeezing himself next to Will and Lucas who were screaming for Johnathan to get the car moving. 

As the headlights shone blindingly in their faces, Mateo began to scream at Johnathan too; the entire car erupting in a fit of hysterics as the Camaro drew closer and closer. Suddenly when all hope had seemed lost, and they were all convinced they were going to die in a fiery car wreck, another car came striking into the side of Billy's, t-boning their pursuer with force. Beside them inside of the car, that had quite literally saved their life, sat a disheveled Steve Harrington and frozen Robin Buckley.

Finally, their car started with an excited rev and once Nacy piled in, they skidded alongside the two ice cream workers who rushed into the back. The Mind Flayer climbed out of the mall and shook the ground, shrieking in delight as it made its march toward them. Maybe we could hold off the creature while the others make their escape, Mateo thought to himself with hope.

However, as the Mind Flayer made its frenzied crawl toward their car, Jonathan pushing the gas as hard as he could, a melodious voice suddenly broke through Steve's walkie talkie. Mateo couldn't believe his ears, Dustin was singing 'Never Ending Story' with some girl on the other end as they were all being pursued by death. He looked back at Steve and Robin in disbelief and scoffed, "You've actually got to be kidding me." All the hope that burned inside of him turned to ash. 

On the other side of Hawkins, Irene and the three teens had just come upon the door that led outside the mall. As she reached to push it open she was hit with a wave of nausea and a stinging pain inside her skull. Her frame stumbled backward against one of the walls and the three noticed the blood trickling down her nose. She closed her eyes and tried to grip the vision tightly, not succumbing to the strain that was weighing down on her body. She saw Billy stir in his battered car, seeming knocked out cold, and the Mind Flayer was nowhere to be seen. Her brother's motorcycle called to her, the sound of its engine revving inside her mind gave her hope...but the vision took her down another path and she stood in front of the monster again and suddenly she realized what she had to do. Once she opened her eyes a surge of power coursed through her – she stopped Mike from opening the door.

"Wait! Billy's still out there...but I've got a plan." She told him. El, in particular, noticed the sparkle in her eyes that gleamed brightly as she spoke. Something had shifted in her and whatever it was, it fueled their aspirations and made them feel that they might actually come out of their battle not entirely unscathed, but at least with minor abrasions.

She wiped the blood from her nose and instructed the three to backtrack down the hall before they came across a single door at the end of the corridor. It was the main janitor's closet and she knew because she always made visits to the small haven when work got too hectic or when she just wanted to sit and listen to music. Foolishly, they always left their spare key at the top of the frame. She reached for the metal and slid it carefully into her grasp, sharing a small smile of triumph with herself then turned to the teens and said, "Okay so you three are going to stay in here while I figure something out. Do not, and I repeat, do not open this door under any circumstances. When it's over I will come and get you, I promise. This is your safest bet." Her eyes fell to El during the last part of her small speech. "Okay?" 

She looked at them eagerly and when they hesitantly nodded she ushered them inside and then opened her backpack to place a few things in it to help aid her plan and hopefully, finally, rid themselves of the beast. She zipped it shut and flashed them a smile, but before she could shut the door behind her a hand gently grabbed her arm. 

She met El's softened gaze and was surprised by the sudden embrace that the girl brought her into. She eased into the hug slowly, feeling overcome with emotion by the gesture. What surprised her most was the whisper that tickled her ear, "It's not your fault. It was never your fault." The words pierced her deeply because she knew exactly where they were coming from – El had been in her mind and saw her memories after all. She knew they were pure, intentional, and full of nothing but kindness. For so long, despite keeping it to herself, she thought that everything that happened with her parents and to herself and her brother was all her fault. Merely because she thought her gift was supposed to prevent chaos even though all it did was enhance it. Even now, stuck inside the eye of Hawkins' storm she found every possible way to blame herself when in actuality none of her reasons were justified.

She had a gift that no one really taught her to use – mostly because they themselves didn't know how to use it – and so she was constantly walking in the dark without a flashlight to guide her. She had to navigate around this ability that's meaning had become a burden to her instead of the gift her ancestors prayed and wanted it to be.

Standing there in the middle of that dimly lit janitor's closet a light had been cast and for once she felt like the suffocating weight of the world had been lifted from her.

Her arms clutched El tighter and a soft whisper of gratitude left her lips in a mumble; she was trying to swallow down the lump in her throat, but the tears in her eyes quickly gave her away. They let go and she hugged the others tightly before she embarked on the rest of her journey. 

A spark of electricity pulsed through her as she ran back toward the shadows of her nightmare. A childlike giddiness struck her; she was finally putting the terror to rest and giving herself some breathing room to be at peace. Hopefully, they all could find some peace after the isle of Hell that they'd been trekking on. She didn't know everything that the group had been through, but what she did know, and believed wholeheartedly, was that they deserved a victory.

Upon returning to the main section of the mall, she finally brought her plan to life.

She poured a heaping amount of thick cleaning solution all over the areas where she knew the Mind Flayer would return – of course, once she got its attention. She figured if she couldn't fully defeat the monster she could at least prevent it from doing anymore harm before Joyce and Jim closed the gate completely and cut it off from its source. It, whether by her simple doing or collectively alongside her new friends, was going to die tonight. 

She duct taped a few spray paint cans together and set them around the area. Her feet then quickly carried her to the emergency glass case at the entrance and she used a wrench to shatter it open. Her clammy hands gripped the extinguisher and she placed it near one of the mall's pillars alongside the wrench and a box of backup matches she also took from the janitor's closet in case her initial plan went south. She wiped the sweat that collected on her forehead before rushing toward the mall's main doors and pushing through them.

There Billy stood, back against her, gazing down at his precious yet wrecked car that was being engulfed by flames. Because he also wasn't entirely himself, he noticed Irene the moment her hands pushed up against the door that led her toward him. He heard her trembling breaths before she even got close enough to hit him with the hammer that her fingers curled frighteningly tight around.

The shock in her face when he grabbed it from her, sending her body to the floor, and then clamping his hand around her throat only brought him more delight...but his face hardly showed it. On the outside it looked as if he was almost remorseful, but whoever had him strung around their fingers only made him squeeze tighter against her skin. What he didn't see was the shard of glass tucked inside the pocket of her uniform where her scooper belonged. 

"Where is she?" He snarled as she clawed at him with one hand while desperately inching her other to reach for the only other weapon she brought.

While Irene felt herself slipping away and started to see the black dots that accompany asphyxiation, her fingers finally grabbed a hold of the shard and dug it into the hand that was wrapped around her throat. Billy hissed, quickly retracting his hand, and she kneed him in the gut before pushing him off of her with her legs, giving herself the tiniest window of time to escape.

Scrambling to her feet she turned and ran back toward the mall. She didn't want to hurt Billy, but what he could do to her was terrifying and as long as he was under someone else's control he would do anything to get to El. So she was going to do anything to stop him.

A warm sensation tingled in her hand and she stared down at the blood that trickled down from her palm. She was quick to forcefully rip the sleeve of her cheap uniform off and wrap it tightly around the cut. She groaned and then held her breath at the throbbing that felt like it was tearing her skin; pained tears slipped down her cheeks. 

She hid inside the Gap again, holding her hand and listening as Billy angrily trudged into the mall. "Come out, come out!" He sang menacingly loud along with the commotion he caused by throwing things around. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't fucking tell me where she is!" His voice boomed as she peered around the corner. When she saw that he was looking inside one of the vacant bathrooms she ran to hide behind the pillar where she left her wrench. She clutched it to her body as the atmosphere grew silent, only her shallow breaths could be heard.

BOOM! The ground shook beneath her and a shrill scream vibrated against her skill. She hunched over and crouched to the floor, snapping her eyes shut. Her body felt tense and rigid, like all of her insides were screaming to escape from the utter terror that shot through her body. A hand yanked her hair to the side and she was so distraught that she didn't even register what was happening at first until she opened her eyes. Then she tried with all of her might to release Billy's tight grasp from her scalp, but it only made the pain burn more fervently along the back of her head. 

Her body collided roughly with the floor and as she turned, she caught sight of the Mind Flayer in all of its rage. However, fury had been burning brightly in Irene Vasquez too and this creature, she'd come to the conclusion, was no match for her unbridled anger. She looked up at Billy as he now towered over her – her eyes were cold and daunting – and she whispered ghostly, "You're gonna have to kill me because I'll never tell you where she is." Even though there was an obvious fear that lingered in the air of her venomous words, they still struck the monster's to its core. 

It screamed and opened its disgusting mouth wide; a sharp-taloned tentacle snaked its way out and toward Irene, ready to strike and make her a part of its army. Before she could join the gigantic creature of mush, much like she witnessed in her fragments before, a firework erupted at the side of the Mind Flayer. Along the rails of the mall's second floor stood the rest of the group hurdling fireworks at the monster.

"Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!" Lucas bellowed as he threw the colorful explosive right into the monster's mouth, causing it to shriek and cower away. The embers of the fireworks caught onto the cleaning solution Irene had poured a while back and singed the skin of the Mind Flayer. Despite the vile smell of burning flesh, they continued with their fight. 

BOOM! One of the bundles of cans exploded at the Mind Flayers feet, causing it to stumble to the side. Billy swayed as well with a loud grunt and she took this as her opportunity to flee. However, his hand latched onto her leg as she turned to run away. He pulled her toward him and flipped her over; she looked into his cold eyes and realized that most if not all of Billy was gone. Whatever feeling he had in him that she once saw as remorseful or broken was beginning to flicker out. It didn't make the situation easier – if anything it made it worse. What was she going to tell Max? How do you explain to someone that the person they once knew had been a corpse long before they even died?

The light from the fireworks illuminated his hollowed face as he held her throat, a final tear escaped down his cheek and for a moment Irene believed that maybe...just maybe, if she tried hard enough, she might just be able to save him and her friends. 

In just about every Vasquez household there was a tale, long forgotten now, that was told to a child that was born with the gift of sight in order to show them just how powerful they really were. It was about the very first in their lineage with precognition; Santiago. It was said that Santiago, if he really tried, could see with just one glimpse into someone's eyes their entire life – past, present, and future. With this he, along with the child who possessed the gift that the tale was told to, harbored a great responsibility. It was thrust upon them, the duty to protect the world from tragedy. How you might ask? Well, by looking into the past and seeing where they could change in the present in order to prosper in the future. When their abilities dwindled out of existence along with most hope in the world, many Vasquez's feared that Santiago's ultimate goal and lesson of the tale would die in vain.

They believed that the fragmented world they would see in nightmares would become their ultimate reality and so they turned away from the gift, letting it water down to simple sightings of possible outcomes that never failed to leave them feeling hopeless, angry, and morose. Their gift lost all meaning once it got to Sofia's children.

But, as mentioned before, Irene Vasquez was not given the gift of sight by accident.

Hope constantly smoldered in the furnace of her heart. She blamed herself for many things and she harbored the weight of every single tragedy that struck her and her family, but despite it all there was a small part of her that held onto the sliver of her aspirations. She wandered mindlessly in the dark but she never let it consume her – she was always searching for the light. El had finally given it to her and for once she could fully step into her power. 

She looked into Billy's eyes and even though he was hardly there anymore she tried her best to reach into the deepest parts of him that he was desperately clinging to, "You have to remember – remember who you were." She choked, reaching to touch his face. Her warm fingers sent shivers down his spine and a familiarity blossomed in his chest. "It doesn't have to be this way Billy, please." She pleaded quietly and he stared down at her, "You were happy and you can be happy again but not like this. You have to fight it."

In Billy Hargroves mind a memory had been brought to the forefront, like a sudden reminder of what once was — who he once was. His mothers melodic laugh and voice like silk shook his bones. A warm tear slipped down his cheek as he stared down at Irene; wondering how she'd reached into the core of his being and came back out alive to remind him what mattered. His grip loosened on her throat and she gasped for air, a sob escaped her lips. 

The Mind Flayer quickly noticed its host slipping away from compliance. In its rage, it reached one of its long tentacles toward Billy's body and tore at his side and back; an aerosol mist of blood splattered onto Irene's face as she heard the loud cry of someone beside her. She turned her head and there stood Max, Mike, and El who, upon hearing the symphony of fireworks and commotion outside, left the closet and came to help their friends. She moved him out of the creature's way as another tentacle came soaring toward them. It opened its clawed mouth and she grabbed the wrench near her and swung with all her might – metal colliding with gooey flesh. The creature hissed and was pelted with one last firework. She scrambled to her feet and rushed to Billy who was hunched over, Max running toward him as well.

Something snaked around Irene's foot and tugged, causing her to hit the floor with a thud as her chin collided with the pavement — she was being dragged toward the Mind Flayer. She reached frantically for anything to take a hold of and suddenly Billy grabbed onto her hand along with the other three. When the Mind Flayer noticed El had made her reappearance it flung one of its tentacles her way as well. Before it could reach her, an ax sliced down against it causing the monster to hiss and retract itself.

Now standing beside El, Mateo gripped the weapon - which he acquired by breaking another emergency glass case -  in his hand and swung it down at the other tentacle that was pulling his sister. It roared at him in response and dropped her, sending the other four to the ground. BOOM! Another bundle of cans exploded from the heat of the flames that surrounded them, a shriek left the monster's mouth again. 

It was pissed.

A fleet of tentacles came out from its body almost daringly – like if they were to cause it any more harm it would suck the life out of each and every one of them. Out from its mouth came the most menacing tentacle of all, rushing right for El. Mateo pushed the girl out of the way and the teeth clenched right into his side, causing a cry of agony to leave his lips.

"No!" A chilling scream erupted from Irene as she lunged for the ax, angrily hoisting it up and then cutting through the air with precision down toward the tentacle, "Run!" She yelled to El and the others as a tentacle lunged forward, sinking its teeth into her leg, causing her to cave onto the floor in pain. And just as another tentacle lurched toward them the Mind Flayer screeched in anguish, stumbling backward and it seemed to finally be dying. 

And so, in the blink of an eye, the gate had been closed.

As tragedy sprinkled at their feet like ash and death receded in its valley beyond, the worst seemed like it was over...for some.

Irene looked down and noticed the huge gash that was in her left thigh and tears fell from her eyes in pain, but the moment she looked over at her brother lying on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding him, her heart fell into the deepest parts of her. Her chest caved inward like an avalanche of grief. Her lungs felt like they were being squeezed, forcing a strangled sob to leave her lips as she struggled to crawl toward him. It felt like she wasn't in her body — like she wasn't in the moment at all, just watching from afar. None of it felt real. Mateo groaned as he clenched his eyes shut and her hands shakily hovered over his bloodied wounds. A soft whimper came from her as she took it all in, but she refused to grieve for someone who was still alive; she had to fight for him.

"Come on, we gotta get you out of here." She sniffled, wiping her eyes, trying to swallow down the growing lump in her throat. He looked up at her, the pain so unbearable he couldn't even speak — he tried to nod instead, his eyes fluttering shut again. She hoisted him up carefully, sucking in a breath at the sharp pain that pulsed through her leg. She wrapped his arm around her shoulder, taking a wobbly stand. Her vision was so blurred by tears and pain that she almost didn't even notice Billy on the floor beside her brother, lifeless and still. She held in another cry as El embraced Max.

The fire continued to burn fervently around them as they made their haste escape, Steve rushing to Mateo's other side to help Irene.

It sounded like he was trying to tell her something as they stepped out of the mall, but it came out in a breathless whisper. The side of her uniform was saturated with his blood and the bottom of her shorts was covered in her own. She could feel him getting heavier but she persisted. A low mumble kept trying to leave his lips, but he was losing too much blood and going in and out of consciousness. 

Nancy pushed open the door for them and they could hear distant sounds of sirens and the soft whir of helicopters in the air. And when they could taste the dewey summer air on their tongues, her brother began to grow even heavier until his knees caved and he fell to the floor.

"Teo." She whimpered, crouching beside his body. He gave her a weak smile and reached for her hand.

"I kept my promise this time, right?" The question came out in a gurgled cry and all his sister could do was nod. How many pieces could a heart break into before it finally died? Irene figured a million if she was still alive to witness her brother's shallow breaths as life slowly slipped from his grasp.

"Yeah, yeah, you did. You're my hero." She whispered as tears fell down her cheeks. He weakly opened his eyes and clutched her hand the tightest he could.

"I love you." He exhaled, like he was really holding on to the words, but now finally letting himself go.

Irene grabbed his face, "Hey, hey, we're gonna get you some help. Okay? You just-you just have to hold on." His eyes closed and when they didn't open again for longer than expected she shook his shoulders, "Teo?" She questioned frantically and shook him again. She checked for his pulse and when the beat of his heart could no longer be felt against her fingers she let out a strangled sob. A haunting, "No," left her lips in a slurred hurry.

She whimpered helplessly as she laced her fingers together, placing them against his chest and began pushing harshly against his ribcage, timing her compressions as soft prayers left her lips. The rest of the group watched in anticipation, the sirens drawing closer. 

"Come on." She grunted as she continued to push against her brother's chest. Tears flew down her cheeks and she whispered the words over and over like a mantra. With every compression her heart sunk further. "Come on. Come on Teo, please." She cried at the stillness of his body, still not giving up on him. "Please." She whispered and when he still wouldn't budge she finally broke down in a loud cry. Her head fell against his chest and she gripped his shirt tightly, crying out into the twilight for her brother.

The world fell silent.